(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)
Trying Times!
Well, my nephew now has 100 of my dollars, which I’m not amused by (well, a little amused, pride coming before a fall and all that). If my results this coming week prove this to be an anomaly, I’ll view this two-week failure on my weight loss goal as an unnecessary evil, simply serving as proof that it’s a goal I need.
I ain’t gonna’ lie, this week was chock full of emotional and fiscal bombs that took me by surprise, made me question some of my long-term strategies and weakened the attention I paid to my food intake. This 90 day goal set can be seen as a microcosm of things I need to be both mindful of and ambitious in – my creative work and the long-term maintenance of my physical health. A week or two here or there over a year is no big deal, but contiguous months (the pattern I fell into over the winter) are simply too difficult to recover from – and that’s what this weight loss goal is meant to drill into me.
On the upside, I continue to be productive in my various focus areas for writing; still not satisfied that I’ve settled on the right voice for the blogs – but the more you do it the better you get so I’ll keep plugging away. Getting my head back into “Hard Knox” proved tough, stylistically it couldn’t be more different from “Black Nouveau” – and being a year removed from it I’ve forgotten some of my reasoning for the opening scene. From this point forward I do drafts 1 and 2 back-to-back!
The 90 Day Goals
Black Nouveau Edits – Success
This was a screwy transition week, I went back and rewrote a chunk of BN before I got into “Hard Knox” proper – so I’m starting the page count at 10. Start page: 0 End page: 10
Weight Loss – Failure
Lose a minimum of 1 pound per week. Week start: 282.0 Week end: 282.0
(Stickk goal: 281)
Blog posts – Success
Write and post a minimum of 3 posts per week.
Journal – 4/18/15: Daredevil, Indecision and Spring
Out of the Past: Movies 1984
90 Day Transition: Week 5 Report
Key Learnings:
- It’s not the falling down, it’s the getting back up: I’ve logged two fails in this cycle, no biggie if I recover strong. Nothing wrong with falling off the horse, as long as you don’t grow terrified of horses and condemn yourself to being immobile.
- Disruption is the norm, not exception: I don’t mean to be vague about my “upsets” this past week, they’re just not my tales to tell. Fact is we have loved ones get hurt, we lose money, cars break down, houses burn, our bodies break down, and on and on. The reality is if we can do nothing about it, we’re challenged to move on with our own goals, our own agendas. Always seeking to do our best, because that’s what we expect of ourselves.
Things to watch:
- Generate momentum: For more than three weeks, I haven’t had three contiguous days of momentum, and that’s just being sloppy. In some ways I’ve chosen to let things slip in favor of helping others, if the person is deserving that’s always the best choice, but many are not and it’s those who need to be excised.
- Choose focus: Under the best of circumstances (if I’m not mindful) I’m as easily distracted as a squirrel. When I’m focused on my goals, I can override this tendency – but it has to stay top of mind, and I’ll strive for that.
- Choose Action: I say this all the time, but knowing is not doing – in any moment where there’s a choice between action and inaction I will choose action – even if it’s just vacuuming.
In summary, shit happens its how you react to it that matters, I’m well-trained in all of the disciplines I need to accomplish my goals, it’s methodical, boring action that will get me where I want to go. I’m excited to dig deeply back into “Hard Knox” – I love Frank, Mike, Liz and the rest of the characters (particularly Hannah Jean Becker – the greatest femme fatale in the history of the trope) that populate this pocket universe I’ve created. Send me some good juju for the coming week, I’ll take all the help I can get!
“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca